Car coupler carrier



Jan. 8 1935. V 1 p N 1,987,290

CAR COUPLER CARRIER Filed Aug.' 30, 193 3 V 4 fbrne Patented Jan. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES OAR COUPLER CARRIER Garth G. Gilpin, Riverside, 111., assignor to Union Metal Products Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 30, 1933, Serial No. 687,423

Claims.

This device relates to means for automatically positioning the coupler of a railway car by gravity. Two railway cars are automatically coupled to gether by the movement of their respective cou- 5 plers forcing the tails of the pivoted knuckles behind gravity locks. The couplers are mounted in the cars so as to permit a limited amount of lateral movement. Such limitation is necessary and essential because if the couplers .were allowed to move too far to either side, the couplers of the two cars being coupled would pass each other and not couple, thereby defeating the object of the automatic coupler. The greater thel'ate'ral movement'of a coupler the less side pressure on the striking casting when the cars are going around curves. This lateral pressure forces the wheel flanges against the rail causing considerable friction and wearing of the rails and wheels.

In my device the movement between the coupler and the carrier is eliminated, thus reducing friction and consequent wear on the parts. This is quite an item particularly in sandy countries because couplers are costly and the replacement of a coupler means keeping the car out of service.

Coupler positioning devices reduce the number of broken knuckles and guard arms on couplers which members are frequently bent or broken when the couplers are not within coupling range. Such devices also reduce the number of accidents to trainmen as they are not required to go be-.

tween the cars and position the coupler preparatory to coupling.

Some railway car couplers have enlarged rear ends to provide a swivel connection with the draft gear or cushioning mechanism. Such a coupler is illustrated in United States Patent No. 1,431,717 of October 10, 1922. A further object of the invention is to provide a coupler positioning device which is secured to a four sided striker or other car part so that the carrier can be readily removed for the insertion or removal of the enlarged rear end of the coupler.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a part of a railway car equipped with my device (with the coupler head removed). I

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows, on the right side of the center line, a partial view of Fig. 1, and on the left side of the center line, a section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2.

In the form of my invention illustrated the four sided striker or other car part 2 comprises spaced apart vertical walls 3 connected by a lower horizontal wall 4 and an upper horizontal wall 5 so as to form an opening through which the con pler is inserted.

The coupler positioning device comprises a coupler carrier 8 provided with a plurality of sub-. stantially, spherical bearings 9, a carrier support 10 provided with a plurality of substantially spherical bearings 11, and a plurality of balls 12 positionedbetween the respective bearings of the carrier and the support. Means are provided to retain the carrier in a predetermined relation to the coupler, which means, in the form illustrated, comprises a plurality of projections 14. on the carrier projecting into apertures 15 in the coupler 16. In this arrangement any movement of the coupler in a substantially horizontal plane rolls the balls up to the sides of the spherical bearing causing a tendency for the coupler to return to the normal central position by gravity.

The carrier support extends between the opposite vertical walls 3 of the car part 2 and has a surface engagement 20 with each of the vertical walls 3 to hold the carrier support 10 in place laterally of the car and against a twisting movement.

The device so far described is adaptable for use with a coupler without an enlarged rear end, but when a coupler with an enlarged rear end 25 is used, I provide a filler 26 between the carrier support 10 and the lower horizontal wall 4 of the car part 2 which is preferably arranged to transmit the vertical load upon the carrier support to the lower horizontal wall of the car part. The bolt 27 passes through apertures in the vertical walls 3-3 and the support 10. The filler is held in place by the dowels 28 engaging apertures 29 in the wall 5. To remove the coupler the bolt 27 and filler 26 are removed and then the coupler carrier 10 is dropped vertically and then removed horizontally. It is necessary to drop the carrier vertically a little, otherwise it would interfere with the lower part of the head of the coupler. If necessary the coupler may be jacked up until the upper part of the shank engages the lower part of the wall 5 of the striker.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A railway car coupler positioning device comprising a coupler carrier provided with a carrier in predetermined relation tothe'coupler,v said means comprising a plurality of projections on the carrier projecting into apertures in" the.

coupler. a

3. In a railway car having a car part comprising spaced apart vertical walls and upper and;

lower horizontal walls forming an"opening,' a

coupler having a shank and an enlarged rearend;

a coupler positioning device cornprising a coupler carrier provided with a plurality of spherical bearings, a carrier support provided with a plu rality of spherical bearings, a plurality of balls between the respective bearings of the carrier and the support, means to retain the carrier in predetermined relation to the coupler, a filler between the support and said lower horizontal part, and means to hold the support and filler to the car part, whereby after the filler andfthe last mentioned means are removedthe support and carrier may be lowered so thatthe enlarged rear end of the coupler may beremoved throughsaid opening.

4. In a railway car having a car part comprising spaced apart vertical walls and upper and lower horizontal walls forming an opening, a coupler having a shank and an enlarged rear end, a coupler positioning device comprising a coupler carrier provided with a plurality of spherical bearings, a carrier support provided with a plurality of spherical bearings, a plurality of balls between the respective bearings of the carrier and the support, means to retain the carrier in predetermined relation to the coupler, a filler between the support and said lower horizontal part; and means to hold the support and filler to the car part, said last mentioned means comprising a bolt passing through apertures in the saidvertical walls,'support and filler respectively,

whereby after the bolt and filler are removed the" support andcarrier may be lowered so that the enlarged rear end of the coupler may be removed through said opening.

5. In a railway 'car having a car part comprising spaced apart vertical walls, a coupler, a coupler positioning device comprising a coupler carrier, provided with a plurality of spherical bearings, a'carrier support provided with a plurality of spherical bearings, a plurality of balls between the respective bearings of the carrier and the support, and means to retain the carrier in predetermined relation to the coupler, said carrier having surface engagements with said vertical walls respectively to hold it in proper operative position.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

